Zelda- The War of Time
by MidlightValkyrie
Summary: Link, newly fledged Knight of Zelda, is tasked with a) Saving the kidnapped princess and b) stopping a war with the kingdom of Hyrule up for grabs. Can Link master the force of time itself to right his homeland? Takes place after Twilight Princess.


Zelda

Chapter 1:

Footsteps, all but silent, walking through the corridor. Only the lantern in his hands illuminated the path ahead. Silence, fear of somehow causing the marble floor below to creak and wake the people in the neighboring rooms.

Link continued to tiptoe through the sleeping quarters, doing his absolute damnedest not to wake up the others, and thus face the wrath of the Guard Captain. Most knights in training weren't allowed out past Curfew but...

"Going somewhere?" Came a voice as soon as Link turned the corner, revealing a dimly lit woman. Before he could yelp in surprise, the woman clasped a hand over his mouth. "Don't yelp, silly!" She said. "I'm going to remove my hand, okay?

The second Link nodded, the woman's hand withdrew, and Link was finally able to make out the figure in front of him. A young woman, with long blonde hair. Blue eyes twinkled as the flame of the lantern danced between them.

"Oh, Zelda... err, Princess." Link said.

"Were not at court right now, you can call me Zelda. That's what friends do, right?" Zelda said.

"Oh... you're right." Link said. During the entire time Link stayed at the castle as a knight-in-training, Zelda had cautioned him to keep the fact that they were childhood friends a secret. During the daytime, Link had to keep his distance But sometimes, at night, they would meet up to hang out and relax in the castle courtyard. "Sorry. What are you doing here? I was just on my way to the courtyard right now."

"I just felt like meeting you halfway for once. Zelda said with a slight smile that Link couldn't help but return. That was the thing Link liked most about his best friend. No matter what, she always smiled that bright, charming smile. It was warm, like she really was the happiest person in the world.

Nodding, the two of them walking in the general direction of the courtyard. A few corridors down, a set of loud footsteps around the corner stopped them. Link quickly open the glass covering of the lantern and snuffed the flame out.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Ambassador Ganondorf." Came the voice of the Hylian Prime Minister, Taiva. "We were a bit, er, surprised by your sudden arrival that we had to get someone who recognized you."

The footsteps continued on. "No matter. I have something I want to speak to the king about, but if it's night, Ill wait for one more day."

"It's quite fine. Though a little late in the night, you've arrived at a good time. It will bring good relations between the two countries should you attend the Princess' ascension ceremony."

"Oh yes, that's tomorrow, isn't it?" Came the voice of this Ganondorf person, but his tone made it a mock question. Clearly this person already knew that tomorrow was the day the Princess would be handed the throne by her father.

They continued to talk, but voice and footstep faded away. Link took a breath, relighting the lantern and continued through a small door that led outside into the courtyard.

"Well, that was exciting." Zelda said with a slight laugh as she walked through the courtyard,, twirling as she did. She walked forward to the center, over a tiny bridge that guarded a small boat, and sat down on a bench. She motioned over for Link to set next to her. The breeze was nice, and not at all pushy or annoying.

"Are you nervous?" Link asked as he neared Zelda, lying in the nearby grass/ "As of tomorrow, you'll be Queen of Hyrule."

"Of course I'm nervous"Zelda said. "Father is suddenly retiring, leaving me in charge of an entire country. So many lives and decisions in my hands. I honestly don't know If I can handle it."

Link looked at her with Sympathy. "I don't think anyone expected you to take over. The King retiring due to Illness..." He said. Indeed, it was rather sudden. The King had been developing a horrble sickness. Wheezing, sudden chills, the occasional vomit. The Chancellor had deemed him unfit and suggested passing rule on, to which he had readily agreed.

Zelda seemed quiet for a moment, as if she was trying to put words on her tongue, but was afraid to do so. "About all of this, Link. You know it's become customary for each Princess to have a knight as a guard, right?"

"That has something to do with Hyrule's history, right?" Link asked. He vaguely remembered this in what little History lectures he hadn't slept through. A century ago, the last Zelda had made a decree and a warning- Hyrule would come to danger, and to help prevent this, a guard was to be issued for all future princesses. It had since then been customary for the princess to choose a personal knight.

Zelda nodded. "This is going to sound awkward but... I'm considering choosing you as my knight,"

Link blinked for a quick moment. "Wait... ME?"

Zelda looked surprised. "You don't want too?"

"Well, it's not that I don't want too... shouldn't you have a someone who could protect you easily? I'm still in training."

"Well, I[ma thought so as well but... every time I tried considering someone else, you kept popping up in my head. You know me the best and I can't really think of anyone I'd have guard me. So, what do you say?"

Link paused only for a short moment, then nodded. "I would be more than happy to take that task."

Zelda beamed brightly at the man who would son become her chosen knight. "That's a relief. I was really afraid you would refuse."

Nothing was said for a short time, until Zelda spoke up again. "In all honesty, something in me feels off. I have this horrible feeling."

"Like what?" Link asked.

Zelda frowned "Well, it's hard to put into words... but If I had too, I feel that tomorrow will change everything. Like everything that's happened before will no longer cease to be true. I don't know why I feel like that but..."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen" Link promised, slowly standing up. "That's what I'm going to be there for, isn't it?"

Zelda nodded, the smile slowly returning to her face. "I guess so." She said. After a second, she reached behind her neck, tugging at something. "I have something I want to give you. It's supposedly an Heirloom from the Royal Heirloom."

"Are you sure I should be receiving an item like that?" Link asked

"It was given to me, I can do with it what I want to." She said, revealing a necklace. It was shaped with different gems and designs, shaped into a triangle. In the top was a ruby, red as a rose. To it's right, and emerald, and to it's left, a set of three small sapphires. "I believe it's called the Treasured Pendant. "

Link accepted the pendant, holding it to the moonlight so he could look at it more clearly. "This is really beautiful... but are you sure-"

"-consider it proof that you're the one I choose." Zelda said. "Tomorrow, before the King offically recognizes me as Queen of Hyrule, you will have your knighting ceremony. I myself will be doing the knighting."

"Try not to kill me." Link teased, and Zelda playfully pushed him. "I'm glad we'll be able to talk like this a lot more."

"We should probably be going to bed." Link said. "It seems we both have really big nights ahead of us."

"I guess so." Zelda said. It was apparent that something was still worrying her, but she hid it well. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

Link pulled the lantern out of his pocket. "Let's get going, then."

…

"The young warrior returns." Was what greeted Link as he entered his room. He was immediately grabbed in a headlock. "Randomly roaming the halls again? I bet you were trying to steal something from the kitchen again."

Link faked a laugh. "You caught me, captain. Now if you could just let me ago..."

The Guard Captain, Daru, set him down, looking at him with a general disapproving. "If tomorrow wasn't the Princess' coronation, I'd have you working kitchen duty for the next three nights."

"Sorry sir, I just couldn't get to sleep and my stomach began to rumble." Link lied through his teeth. Should word got around that Link was meeting the princess, he would be in big trouble, and most of all, admirers of the young princess would come for him with a blood-lust.

"I guess I can relate." Daru said. "I haven't been able to sleep recently either. I don't know what it is, but I have this horrible feeling that I'm not going to like the next week."

"You too?" Link asked, recalling what Zelda had said earlier.

"Oh, you feel the same way?" Daru asked, nodding. "Be on your guard, Link. Get some sleep. Let's hope we're both wrong... but we may both need to be at our best tomorrow. We'll discuss your punishment later."

Link groaned, but walked over to his bed, plopping on it. "So tomorrow i'm going to be knighted,.. Never thought that would happen so soon..." Link said, and quickly drifted offf into sleep.


End file.
